Lingering
by Violet Fier
Summary: They make it pretty clear that they are over. But they both know that it's just a denial. Two idiots. They can keep resisting, they can keep pretending. But it's a thin line.
1. The Aftermath

**The Aftermath**

They broke up.

No crying, no screaming, no storming, no nothing. Everything was just closed with a promise that they weren't ready yet, and a hug that lingered longer than usual. And the following day, they wake up and be _normal _again. Easy as that.

He's back to be the childlike, goofy boy with a desirable confidence and optimistic character, she's back to be the shy, smart and dorky girl who likes watching clouds and doing stuff that he calls lame. They're back to be them, best friends and partners, back to the way they used to be, the way they're _supposed _to be.

_Like nothing has ever happen._ Yeah, they could keep reminding themselves that. But they can't fool the fools. And they _are _the fools. Everyone know there _is _something. The way they treat each other, less but more intimate, less but more insecure, seems to be a lot more obvious than they think it is. And _they _know it themselves, that there's no way they could get over their exes as they see one another every single day, at school, at home, talking, laughing, touching, trying to act like normal friends. Especially, when they still care for each other an aching lot.

The line is so thin, the tension is almost unbearable, but as the fools they are, they decide to try to ignore its presence.

They don't touch, don't hug each other as much as before. But when they do, it would always last longer than a friendly touch should be. They would stand there, enjoy the warmth, the smell of one another and the relaxing feeling of all the time in the world suddenly seem to stop for a while. And they would pull away, they would avoid to look at the other's eyes, and they would hope somehow the light could hide their blush.

There are moments, when they are both silent, their fingers float on the keyboard, let the voice of music rise. Music would transport everything, the hurt, the bittersweet, the hidden feelings, the secrets of their hearts, to one another, in a way that words couldn't. Those little talks are just for them to keep.

There are moments, their hands accidentally touch. They would hold still, let the beautiful spark run through their skin, before pull away, make some lame excuses, and do it again.

There are moments, that they actually risk the line, when there are just the two of them in the practice room. Her head would lean on his shoulder, soft caramel locks would tickle his cheek and neck in three seconds. Or, their foreheads would rest against each other's in six seconds, then they would pull away, shyly increase the distance inbetween a little bit more. And in those precious six seconds, their eyes would remain closed, because they both know if they don't, they could not take it anymore. They know in the back of their mind that the second they open their eyes, they will be lost in the other's sight, and they would stay in that position much too long, and their eyes will trail down each other's lips, and they cannot hold it, and someone will get hurt. Just staying like that was hard enough. Her vanilla cinnamon breath is enough for his knuckles to go white, and his summer breeze-like smell is enough for her to bite her lip.

'You know, you really should make it up with Ally.' Kira says while they are wandering around the store, picking some stuff for Ally's surprise party.

He sighs. 'Nah. It's not going to work. You know it. We're not ready to be a couple.'

'Well, maybe you were just confused. First dates are always the worst, since people have absolutely no idea about their company. But you two are another situation. You've known way too much about each other, it led your date to be bad in another way. That explains the awkwardness.

"Maybe you're right. But that doesn't prove anything.'

Kira rolls her eyes. 'As if. You tell me now that you didn't turn down my dad's offer because of Ally, or you're not throwing a surprise party just for her, or you didn't buy her the whole flower shop after her first gig, then I'll believe you, okay?

He protests. 'We're friends. Friends do such things for each other. Besides, I didn't buy a whole flower shop, there were only five bunches, three baskets and four vases, including some orchids, roses, pansies and some stargazers. Those are her favorites!'

'And have you ever done something like that to your other friends? To me? Trish? Or more particular, to Dez?'

'Of course I…' she raises an eyebrow. 'Well, probably.' He blushes. 'Dez doesn't like flowers!'

'Sure he does.' Kira shrugs. 'Listen Austin. I will not rush you to fix things with Ally. But I also know that you still have feelings for her. Like a hell lot. I've seen it coming. That's why I refused to go out with you at the beginning. And I know you think you're not ready to be with her back then, but that doesn't mean you're not really ready. At any rate, you dumped me for her. You must like her a lot. And come on, my sacrifice must be worth more one date, right? And eventhough you're really inconsiderate, but not that bad, are you?'

'Jeez, thanks. But I still think we're not ready yet.'

'Well, you'd better man up hurry. Ally's now gotten over her stage fright, and let me tell you, it changes a lot more than what you think it does. You can protest and say I didn't know her as much as you do and all you want, but as a matter of fact, girls know stuff. And because girls know stuff, here's an advice: The window doesn't stay open forever.'

'I never sleep with my windows open, so thank you.'

Kira rolls her eyes, mumbles something like 'Boys!' and raises her hands in surrender.

Kira is right.

After getting over her stage fright, something about Ally changes. Some sort of light has burst out of her, like a butterfly, and suddenly, she becomes too noticeable, too attractive, much to Austin's disapproval. Sure, she's still the same Ally, as adorable and adorkable as ever, and he has always known that she was awesome, and he has always known that people will notice that someday, and he's super proud of her for making it happen. Still, it kills him watching all those monkeys (customers and whatnot) literally drool over her like she's something like a smoky bunch of pancakes. Or bananas. There's something in the way she talk, act, and smile, even the most half-hearted smile, that is so magical, enough to make those guys' eyes pop out of their heads, and cause him the urge to strangle somebody, but right then he realizes he doesn't have the right. Not anymore.

So instead, every time an idiot ask her out, he would sink deeper into the couch, pretend to be interested in any freaking thing that he was doing, and refuses to look up.

Little does he know, every time, before she replies a guy's offer, her big doe eyes would look at him, pleadingly.

**So, there you go. Right now it's just an one-shot, but it can turn into a multi-chapter too, depends on your request. So, review, please. Let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? Disappointed in it? I know many of you might consider about the lack of an ending, but I did it on purpose. Ha! I'm so evil. Leaving a story hanging so I can earn your reviews.**

**I don't see why so many people hate Kira. She's cool. Was it because she dated Austin before Ally? So people think she's a snobby little bitch that separates them? Let me remind you, Kira turned Austin down in the first place because ****_she _****suspected that Austin liked Ally, the events after were all Austin's action. And if it wasn't for her, Ally wouldn't have realized how much she liked Austin. And the following episodes, she showed us that she's a totally cool, down-to-earth girl, and she wisely behaves. She's awesome. One vote for Kira.**

**Violet Fier**


	2. Stupidity

**Stupidity**

'_I'm really sorry, Austin. I don't like how things have been different between us since we've been dating.'_

_'I know. I'm sorry, too. It seems like now that we're a couple, we're just too afraid to hurt each other's feeling.'_

_'I just think being a couple is getting in the way of us being…us.'_

_'Things were great the way they were. Maybe we're not ready to be a couple…just yet.'_

_'Friends?'_

_'And partners. Always.'_

'Bullshit', he might add.

Ridiculously, he has meant it every word. Every word. Although now, he wonders what has gotten into him. He was supposed to plan their date differently, he was supposed to not shove that freaking piece of bread at her face. He supposed to give her his honest ideas about the song, and not to come up with that genuine silliness as an idea. Most of all, he should have stopped her from mentioning the break-up lines, and convinced her to think twice, to give him, to give them, another chance.

Despite the fact that he wasn't willing to open his mouth.

And again, he reconsiders the possibilities.

At one hand, he is still furiously insanely freakishly miserably craving for her.

At the other hand, he truly loves being friends with her.

Because of all the said reasons, and because as much as an idiot that he always is, he cannot decide if they have made a mistake or not.

He wonders how could they end up like this, and if he could go back in time, will he do it differently. Although, those thoughts usually get him a migraine so he brushes them off, anyways. Dealing with dilemmas is totally not something he's good at.

Move on is the third phrase of the break-up process. After struggle, and be over.

He's childish, dreamy, and silly. But he's realistic, mature and smart enough to acknowledge that there's no way in hell things could get back in the way they've promised them to be. Since now that they know they are afraid. Now that they know what is made of them. Nothing can be the same once you look at it under a different perspective.

Sadly, they are in both first and third phrase. Or, it kind of makes more sense to him that only him being in the situation.

She seems to handle it surprisingly well.

He does hang out, date and stuff (he's a charmer, can't help it). But every date of his ends up in disaster, and at the end of the day, his thoughts always hopelessly uncontrollably drift to her. Even though he acts like no problem, which is not so hard, since he's sort of obvious and confusing at the same time, it's irritating him seeing those guys reach out to her (they are a lot, lately. Half of them he doesn't even sure were in Miami.)

However, part of him is still relieved that after every date, she would go back to him, be his friend and partner Ally. 'How pathetic, I know that already. Stop reminding me, stupid inner voice!'

Sometimes, as he is sitting next to her on the bench, he imagines himself instead of her previous date, Douch Number n. How annoying it is when these thoughts always pop in his mind while he's next to Ally, with her being all cute and adorkable and just lovable like that, but they just have to come as they pleased, to throw some shit at the misery of his life. He imagines himself taking her out on a perfect date, the one she once told him she prefer, a moonlight picnic with a romantic movie, instead of…

Actually, he doesn't know what those doughbags do to her. They never tell each other about their dates.

Neither does he know she shares the same feelings.

But being clueless doesn't lighten up his mood at all.

They sit by the piano, four hands harmonize a melody. Her snow white complexion contrasts his tan tone,barely brushes against his.

He's happy. This is all he can ask for now. Not being _with _Ally Dawson, just _beside _Ally Dawson, as a partner and a friend. He considers himself as lucky, because it's him right now, not Douch Number 5, who took her out for dinner yesterday. What was his name again?

_He took her out yesterday._

Suddenly, his fingers freeze on a weird accord.

'Austin, what's wrong?' She asks worriedly, her small hand is on his shoulder. Electricity runs from her delicate touch through his whole body, and he struggles to ignore the impact, keeping his cool.

He will not look into those eyes, so beautiful and caring and chocolate-ish. OK, maybe a little bit. Just to be polite. But he won't stare. He won't.

He cracks something he believes is a smile and answers.

'It's okay. I'm fine. Just…a little off today.'

They continue to practice in silence.

They keep pretending, keep self-convincing, keep lying, but somehow, they always unconsciously hurt one another. Even though it was the first thing led to their break-up.

He convinces himself that dating, to her, is something means for a girltalk, means Trish, means not his turn to know. She reasons that it's his personal life, she should give him privacy, because that's what a good friend would do. They do everything they can to avoid the fact that they really don't have the guts to ask, and even if they do, they don't have the guts to answer.

So instead of hurting themselves by knowing, they mentally decide to torture themselves by not knowing.

They, she, actually, thinks they are going to be okay that way, but he knows better. He's sort of not as strong as her.

It's the practice room again. Why everything between him and her just have to happen in that room, anyways? That, they don't figure out yet.

All they know is it is one of their precious secret six seconds. Two foreheads are touching, and he wonders what is she thinking now. He misses her. He misses looking at her up this close, misses he glimmer in her eyes, the softness of her skin, the way she blushes when he leans in, and everything. He misses seeing Ally that way. He's afraid he might forget about it. And suddenly, he can't resist the temptation to open his eyes at the second second.

Her eyes are still close, thick eyelashes shadow her cheeks. A ray of Miami's dusk creeps through the window, glistens her hair, her eyelashes, the light fur on her skin, and her parted lips.

He takes in all of those images in half a second. He uses three seconds to be mesmerized by what he's seeing. The last one and a half, well…

Even with her eyes close, she can still feel him leaning in. She can feel his breaths shorten, burns her face in little flames. She remember it. The way he look at her. The magical taste that causes butterflies in her stomach once their lips touch. She remembers everything. It makes her heart beats faster, and the sound rushes her to lean in, too.

So she does the one thing that should be done in that moment. She shuts her eyes tight, pulls away and stands up immediately.

She opens her eyes to look at him once she stands up. Their eyes meet, and she feels so guilty, seeing such emotions welling in his eyes. It's all her fault. But she can't help it.

He sees it too, the hurt in her eyes reflect his own. He also sees guilt. And fear. He sees fear. What is she so afraid of? It makes his heart ache, but he doesn't want to know about it yet. He doesn't want to consider her action, yet. He doesn't want to deal with her feelings, yet. He's busy being selfish.

'Why did you so freak out about it?' he looks at her, subconsciously repeat the question she once asked him a year ago. 'Am I that horrible?'

Her eyes are stinging, and she forces out a smile, her voice trembles. 'No, Austin. You got it all wrong. I…'

'No, don't say that. I don't want to hear it.'

'Austin, I…'

That's when he does it again. Like a child, with hands covering his ears, he flinches away as she tries to touch him, and he rushes out of the room, yelling, 'IF IDON'T HEAR IT, IT'S NOT TRUE! IF I DON'T HEAR IT, IT'S NOT TRUE!'

It's all like what happened a year ago. He's running his way out again, avoiding her, and she again is left alone in that room. The difference? This time, they're torn.

**Ooh, cliffy! What will happen next? I don't know. Or do I (evil smirk)? Sadly enough, I don't own Austin & Ally, or anything that belongs to it. If I do, they'd probably been together after 'Rockers and Writers'. And you wouldn't have to wait **

**Thank you for all of your support, guys. 7 reviews for first chapters, I'm happy!**

**Peace out!**

**Violet Fier**


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